Planting seeds in large numbers is a labour-intensive process. To tide over the problem, a group of volunteers from Rose Trust and the Youth Forum for Environment have come out with an innovative idea of planting seeds under broadcast method using seed balls.
The wet clay soil along with hay and other bio-manure is rolled into the shape of a ball with seeds pressed into each ball.
After drying, the balls are thrown in open fields so that the seeds can germinate during the monsoon.
A total of one lakh seeds are planned to be sown in various areas where the district administration had recently cleared the ‘seemai karuvelam’ trees. To start with, a total of 5,000 seeds of ‘pungan’, tamarind and other shade-giving trees were prepared and thrown into the open fields at Namanakudiyiruppu near Namanasamuthiram.
A. Adhappan, founder of the trust, said that the seeds would be intact till they germinated.
An awareness campaign was being organised in rural areas and school students were motivated to adopt the technique.
